


Day 015

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [15]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Death of animal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-18 23:23:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22268215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 2





	Day 015

Anders spent the morning in the Gallows market replenishing the supplies for the clinic. Most apostates would have stayed as far from the gallows as possible, there was no place in Kirkwall free of templars but they were most concentrated here. But over the past three years he had built up a familiarity with the vendors and guards here and now they hardly remarked his passing.

Anders haggled amicably with Sol, the local alchemist. Anders liked dealing with the man, he never asked questions about why Anders needed the things that he did and in return Anders brought him deep mushrooms and other ingredients from Darktown.

Next came the part Anders always dreaded. The tranquil. Mages sundered from themselves in a punishment worse than death. 

These poor soles cry out for Justice. We must strike down every templars for what they have done. Meredith must pay for her crimes and the crimes of her followers!

Anders thanked the tranquil for their wares and dropped payment into their hand.

Many templars approach. They seek to commit injustice against mages. They will claim to be acting in service to Justice but it is lies. What they do is a perversion of Justice. It is Vengeance Fear and Rage. Sinfule things that must be destroyed.

Anders was so used to ignoring his inner thoughts in the Gallows that he almost didn’t notice the company of templars marching through the square towards the rest of the city. Too many for a regular patrol... this was something else. Anders counted twelve in total. Either they were expecting a fight or they needed to cover a large area. Neither was a good sign. Having purchased all he needed, Anders followed the templars.

The company headed all the way to Darktown before fanning out in groups of four.

We should follow the lieutenant. 

He did so, keeping a wide distance between himself and the templars. The denizens off Darktown were the sort who ran and hid when they saw anyone of authority and the templars passed few except beggars, and these they ignored.

They stopped near the stall of Tomwise who was hastily packing up shop.

“Halt there Elf,” the lieutenant called out. Tomwise froze halfway between dropping everything to run and trying to bluff the templars.

“Selling portions are we?” Asked one of the templars.

“Not portions,” Tomwise protested. “Remedies and antitoxins. Lots of things here to help if you’re sick.”

“Let’s see what you’re selling,” the lieutenant said. He nodded to the templars who had spoken and she went over to peer into the crates. 

“Could be portions,” She said, ”could be remedies, could be poisons.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t mind taking a drink of one of your ‘remedies’ to show that they’re only helpful,” the lieutenant said. At his words the other templars grabbed a bottle at random and held it out. Tomwise looked at it a moment before uncorking it and taking a swig. He winced slightly as he did but made no other protest. Anders knew Tomwise well, the man was probably resistant to most poisons by now and most of his goods would only leave the victim week for a few hours. He was going to have a bad night but he the templars found no further reason to quarrel with him.

The next victim the templars chose was a young boy who had befriended a family of street dogs. The locals were familiar with the strange family. The boy was an orphan and refused human contact in favour of the dogs. He was feral by human standards, he spoke only in barks and growls, but he seemed content enough, especially compared to the others of Darktown. They had even come to visit Anders at the clinic a few times when the dogs had been hurt fighting with other street animals. 

The templars knew none of this context, they didn’t care to. When their attempts to communicate with the boy failed they became increasingly belligerent.

“Maybe he bespelled the mutts,” said one.

“He’s a bit young for a blood mage,” replied another.

“Remember the stories from Fereldon?” The lieutenant said drawing his sword. “A ten year old loardling killed half a village and raided those corpses to kill the rest.”

“He’s using some sort of Fereldon dog-magic.” Said the one who has harassed Tomwise. She moved to grab the boy and one of the dogs leaped at her snarling. Without a moment’s thought the woman hacked the dog in half. The boy started howling and the other dogs launched themselves at the templars in a suicidal attempt to protect their boy.

“Justice is not born of fear!”

Anders heard the words leave his lips but they were not his own. He felt himself move to attack the templars unter the will of Justice. The fight was long and vicious. The templars had talents to counter the magic Justice could bring to bear but their will was weak compared to his and they fell one by one. The boy fled during the fighting along with what dogs yet survived. At some point more templars arrived.

“Go! Warn Meradith. We’ll hold it off.”

The fight went on. Andres felt wounds open and close in a dozen places. Blows that should have killed him were ignored .He could feel the fear as the templars faced death. If nothing else Anders had to admire the fact that they did not waver. They fought him to their last breath.

When the fight was over and Anders returned to himself he realized that not all the templars lay among the dead. Some had escaped and that meant not only that more would come, but that they would know Justice by sight. If he was lucky, they would not connect him to Anders. Regardless, it was time for him to lay low for a time.


End file.
